Steven Mitchell was part of a loosely connected ring of thieves which targeted older homeowners on Staten Island and the outer boroughs, said authorities.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A Delaware man, who was part of a loosely connected ring of thieves, has admitted to his role in a scheme that targeted older homeowners on the Island and in the city's outer boroughs, said authorities.

Afterward, in a telephone interview, his lawyer took a swipe at the borough, implying he feared his client going to trial because jurors here favor prosecutors.

“The plea was about doing the maximum amount of damage control under the circumstances,” said Howard Greenberg, Mitchell’s Brooklyn-based attorney. “I think in almost every case on Staten Island that folks ought to strongly consider taking pleas because Staten Island jurors, in my experience, don’t believe in the rule of law called reasonable doubt.”

The defendants were linked to a series of crimes on the Island between February 2012 and February 2013, said authorities.

Mitchell, of Wilmington, was charged in a June 1, 2012, break-in at a home on Bennett Street, Port Richmond, which netted jewelry and cash. The victims were in their 80s.

The other defendants in the case were Harvey Ely of New Jersey; his brother, Danny Ely, of Elizabeth, N.J., and Ronnie Ristich, 56 of Addington, Ill.

Harvey Ely previously pleaded guilty to third-degree grand larceny and was sentenced to two to four years in prison, according to Advance reports and online records of the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

Danny Ely pleaded guilty in October of last year to two counts of attempted second-degree burglary, prosecutors said. He was sentenced to four years in prison after failing to come up with $30,000 restitution for the victims.

Ristich pleaded guilty in February to a misdemeanor count of stolen-property possession and was sentenced to time served after forking over $25,000 restitution.

Mitchell will be sentenced July 11 to one and a half to three years in prison, said a spokesman for District Attorney Daniel Donovan.